Using spurs, am I old fashioned?

[superted1989]

Way back, in the dim and distant past, when I was a proficient and competitive rider, very few people used spurs. They were for experienced riders and only as a last resort to improve accuracy and 'sharpness'. I've noticed, nowadays, most people wear spurs to compete (not just classes where spurs are 'correct' attire), even quite 'novicey' riders.
There also seems to be a collection of people in my area with young, green horses that I have never seen ride without spurs! Chatting with one of the liveries at the farm (who is also in the 'spurs' camp) explained that it makes the horse much quicker off the leg and more responsive. Totally logical, but, to me, basic schooling should be spur free! Same livery was horrified when I said I used to compete my horse (way back when!) in a Cheltenham gag and grackle noseband!
I'm not anti-spurs, like any artificial aid, very useful when used correctly but I just wouldn't think to use them for basic hacking and schooling. Also, gadgets and accessories seem to go in and out of fashion. So, in your opinion, are spurs the way forward, or, is it lazy, quick fix riding?

 

[flowerlady]

As you stated when the rider actually knows when and how to use them. I'm not a big supporter of them and certainly not on young horses. Otherwise people like the lady as your stables, I would like to see if she would be quicker off the leg if she was jabbed in the belly with spurs. I also hate to see young childred with whips/crops whacking the hell our a pony trying it's hardest to please the parents should be shot. I know I'll be shot down for saying that but personally they should learn to ride without spurs, whips and all the other things imposed on the poor horse to make it perform.

 

[dafthoss]

Nope your not alone a girl I know told me she wears spurs because her horse didnt know what leg aids were when she got it I was to shocked to say any thing useful at the time but tbf she does worse than wear spurs on her very very young horse . She has also started wearing them hacking because I do, my boy can be nappy and rears but when he is settled in his new home I wont wear them, her horse has never even flinched at any thing.

As said I wear them for saftey when hacking as he knows what I want he just chooses to ignore me some times .

 

[Tammytoo]

If people want their horses to be sharper of the leg, why don't they spend the time to teach them politely instead of jabbing them in the side? It works for me.
I carry neither stick nor spurs and haven't done for the last 25 years, I'm no goodie-goodie softy, just believe in putting in the work.

I have always had tbs who are by nature quick to learn and sensitive, so maybe I have an advantage!

 

[flowerlady]

If people want their horses to be sharper of the leg, why don't they spend the time to teach them politely instead of jabbing them in the side? It works for me.
I carry neither stick nor spurs and haven't done for the last 25 years, I'm no goodie-goodie softy, just believe in putting in the work.

A girl after my own heart It must just be these young things

 

[McNally]

I agree- the majority of people you see hacking even these days seem to wear spurs.
I myself have just bought and worn spurs for the first time in 20+ years riding. I only wear them for a certain horse and this was because i was fighting a loosing battle with napping and feeling bad kicking crap out of my horse. I found that i dont even keed to use my legs now he knows i have them, the tiniest squeeze and he go's forward (which tbh is a real novelty!)
They have their place but do get misused sadly

 

[Blitzen]

Sadly, it looks like its a 'fashion' thing, too. It used to be that only the more experienced riders wore spurs, for accuracy, finesse, to push the advanced dressage "buttons". The novices have started wearing them to make them look more experienced (this was certainly the case at a livery yard where I kept my mare when the contract for my yard was going through. They would wear beige breeches, boots and spurs just to come and skip out their stable. I even bumped into one of these liverys walking round the shopping stands at Burghley wearing said outfit). I used to teach, and had to tell several clients (all the gear no idea) to take their spurs off before I let them ride. Using spurs to force your horse to be quick off the leg is pure laziness and nothing that can't be taught through a bit of careful schooling. It pains me to see novice riders with flappy lower legs wearing spurs, especially when the poor creature is bitted up to the eyeballs too *sigh*

 

[FanyDuChamp]

When I was learning you weren't allowed stirrups til you could ride without them and I never rode with a whip until I hunted and then never really used it. I have never and would never use spurs, not my thing at all.
FDC

 

[rachmacypixie111]

I have never rode in spurs - I do only ride for pleasure though - but still - I agree only for people who know what they are doing and in the right enviornment!

 

[abina]

Agree - I was always taught (many moons ago) that the spur was for 'refining' a leg aid and was only to be worn by an experianced rider with a good seat and a secure lower leg. The spur is NOT a tool for making horses go forward, this is done with your weight aids, seat and leg aids.

Far too many riders use spurs to replace the natural aids and render themselves as uneducated riders with poor confused horses.

 

[ClassicG&T]

I know one lady on my yard who has a 17.3hh monster horse, made of solid muscle, and she uses spurs when she schools him due to his size and her size (shes about 5.4ft) as he cannot feel her aids. But she doesn't use them for hacking, just schooling and competing.
But i only use my spurs for competing just as an aid for my legs as the stede can get quite nappy or lazy competing so they help then. But that is pretty much the only time i use them.

 

[AprilBlossom]

I was taught and have always worked to the principle of 'ask nicely, if no response ask firmly, if no response, ask very firmly and if still no response back up the leg aid with a whip' THe theory being that the horse learns to go off the first aid.

I have never ridden in spurs, and whilst I am not against using them if required, I wouldn't ride in them without instruction to begin with, nor do I believe them to be constructive if used at all times - like a whip, they are to be used as a reinforcement not a first attempt, and surely if used all the time horse will become dead to the aid...then what comes next?!?

 

[superted1989]

Phew, glad I'm being an old fuddy duddy then!
My cob has recently come 2nd in a novice XC, he was the only horse not ridden in spurs! If he's being sluggish in the school, I tend to do lots of transistions to tune him up, something I was taught many moons ago and it rarely fails.
I do own 2 sets of spurs, normal ones (are they called Prince of Wales?) and a set of comb spurs (picked up at a boot sale).

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I wear spurs all the time on my current horse AND I carry a whip both schooling and hacking - Just because I wear them doesn't mean I use them.

And I am not uneducated nor a novice and I don't suppose any a worse rider than any of you.

 

[AFlapjack]

I wear spurs once a week on my boy when we do our lateral work in the school.

The spurs helped him 'click' when I was teaching him leg yield especially so for me it is for precision - definitely don't use them to get him going forward or for everyday riding/hacking/school.

 

[YorksG]

I have two sets of spurs, one dummies for showing (would not fancy using actual spurs on the very forward going current Appy) and a short pair of spurs which I used a couple of times on the Old Appy in her very nappy days. I do carry a schooling whip. it is neon green and usually carried at right angles to the horse in traffic I am also of the opinion that they are used to make the rider look 'better' than they are IMO they should not be worn unless you can do a very passable rising trot without irons, sustained for 10 minutes (my old RI used to insist that all his riders could do this and I still practice this every now and again)

 

[MissSBird]

I have a very lazy backward pony and have had it written on more than one dressage sheet that I could do with spurs...I refuse to use them as I cannot control my lower leg in canter. Even in the show ring I use dummies to create the look, rather than actual spurs.

I hate how so many people turn to them as the norm

 

[marmalade76]

Like a lot of other things in the horse world these days, they are a fashion accessory for some.

 

[Shantara]

I think they're fine in some circumstances, but I've seen them misused so much!
One by a girl on the best little show jumper at the yard. You didn't even have to use your leg on him to fly round!
Another was on my friends horse, she wondered why he was too forward going!

I personally wouldn't used them, but they're the only thing that stops the big gray mare from taking off and running home when confronted by a tractor.

 

[Chavhorse]

Old fart here who was taught that spurs should only be used by an experienced rider with an independent seat.

Spent a horrific afternoon a few months ago after being invited to watch my neighbors daughter jumping her pony to see god knows how many children pony club kicking in spurs (I had to be restrained by my husband to stop me causing an international incident!)

Agree with all of you that you should school a horse to react to the leg (good old fashioned up and down transitions!), I do like to take a schooling whip out hacking with me, but have never had to use it.

 

[millitiger]

Gosh, you all must hate me-

I ride in spurs all of the time on both of my horses, for schooling, hacking and jumping.

Even worse, one of my horses is a very big, very green youngster and I use the spur to get him forwards when he is being nappy and refusing to go forwards- much better imo to give him a nudge with the spur than a great pony club kick or a whack with a whip.

Spurs are great as if I don't need them, I don't use them- it is very possible to use the leg a lot without the spur coming into contact with the horse.

String me up now!

 

[Jazzy B]

I not against spurs being used correctly by experienced riders but like other people totally disagree with them being used by people that just don't have a clue! I took my new horse to a dressage competition a couple of weeks ago a "walk and trot" test at a local riding club. My friend and I were the only two in the class to compete without spurs. I was also quite surprised (now being really old fashion I guess) that people were allowed to do such a basic test with martingales, flash nose bands and dressage whips - surely at such a basic level clubs should be encouraging riders to use natural aids and as basic tack as possible.

 

[OldNag]

Way back, in the dim and distant past, when I was a proficient and competitive rider, very few people used spurs. They were for experienced riders and only as a last resort to improve accuracy and 'sharpness'. I've noticed, nowadays, most people wear spurs to compete (not just classes where spurs are 'correct' attire), even quite 'novicey' riders.
There also seems to be a collection of people in my area with young, green horses that I have never seen ride without spurs! Chatting with one of the liveries at the farm (who is also in the 'spurs' camp) explained that it makes the horse much quicker off the leg and more responsive. Totally logical, but, to me, basic schooling should be spur free! Same livery was horrified when I said I used to compete my horse (way back when!) in a Cheltenham gag and grackle noseband!
I'm not anti-spurs, like any artificial aid, very useful when used correctly but I just wouldn't think to use them for basic hacking and schooling. Also, gadgets and accessories seem to go in and out of fashion. So, in your opinion, are spurs the way forward, or, is it lazy, quick fix riding?

I was wondering this too. .. I have never worn spurs because I have never thought myself good enough to use them, or had a situation where it was necessary. But having had a long gap away from horses, I now seem to notice them everywhere.

 

[BBP]

I have been against using spurs myself since I was a child when i was made to wear inch long ones on a 'lazy' (read school sour, fed up and in need of a more varied life) pony and being told to repeatedly boot him with them. I hated the whole experience but as a 10 or even 15 year old (I went back there on holiday a few years later to ride same pony) against one of the most experienced trainers on the circuit, I had no say about it all.

So when my instructor said she thought my young horse (6) would benefit from me using them I was horrified. It took her weeks to convince me that I am a good enough rider with an independent enough seat and leg to use them properly. My horse is sharp, generally quick to react to the seat and the leg and very forwards, so my use of them is entirely different to what I had been made to use them for before. It really is a refinement of the aid (I have bad sciatica due to a herniated disc so my left leg is not very strong) and my spurs are absolutely tiny and very round. I would never ever ever turn them into him and boot him, that is not what spurs are for. I have to admit that he is turning into a rather promising, happy young dressage horse, so I can't be doing too badly!

 

[Maddie2412]

No i am with you, HOWEVER... horror of all horrors i would choose to wear spursmore often than not but never consistently. So here goes my theory: spurs are overused just as much as dutch gags because of fashion. I detest people who wear spurs and havent been taught to use them. It is actually dangerous and irresponsible if you dont understand how sharp they can be. I was taught to use them properly on my old hanoverian who was completely dead to my leg but not all the time... obviously if he is dead to leg and spurs used consistently he becomes dead to that to. I use them on both exracers as find that it provides a much more definite aid and provides a stronger reminder when they go into tail spin mode to send them forwards.

useful tool for aids and safety in the right hands... overused due to fashion in completely unnecessary circumstances

 

[maree t]

I took a huge amount of persuading by my daughters instructer to allow her to use spurs. Her dressage comments were all lack of impulsion. She rides an ex-riding school cob and is a 4 stone 12 year old.He can be pig ignorant and takes the mickey out of her so she wears spurs for lessons and dressage comps. She also carries a schooling whip. She doesnt have to use either as the cheeky monkey knows that they are there and becomes very responsive to her leg. She needs a signed card from the DC to be allowed to wear spurs and it is taken very seriously at our PC and certainly not encouraged. She doesnt wear spurs any other time or on any other pony.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

I used spurs every day on the last horse I had which was a nappy, nappy sod and would take the piss at every opportunity. It meant that I could actually exercise him without having massive arguements about what he would and wouldn't go past. He wasn't scared at all - he was just a sod who had been allowed to get away with an awful lot as a youngster and still felt on the odd day that he would put up a fight just because he could. Far better to give him a bloody good kick with spurs on and get him past whatever he was being silly about than ineffectually booting him with just my legs and him still spinning round and charging off back down the road.

My new horse doesn't need them at all so I don't wear them unless hunting where they are correct attire.

As long as spurs are used for the correct purpose then fine!!

 

[LaurenBay]

I think with a lot of gadgets, if used in the wrong hands will do more harm then good. However with an experienced balanced rider I can't see a problem.

I have used them before on an old share pony, he was as stubborn as anything and could nap for England! So I wore spurs whilst I was out hacking. I had to many close calls with him, were he would nap in the middle of a road and into on coming traffic. Legs, whip and voice made no difference. Put the spurs on and he was a different Horse. Only had to gently nudge him and as soon as he moved forwards I took the spurs of his sides. After a while the napping stopped. So spurs deffiently helped me there.

I would use spurs again, but only in certain situations, I wouldn't use it to school my mare as she's only young. She's not what I would call of the leg but I know with hard work, it will come.

 

[Orls]

I think spurs are only suitable for experienced rider with total control over their lower leg and I would be very reluctant to use them with a young/green horse. I hate fads like these because they can actually do damage to the horse ...

Spurs are a very specialist piece of equipment only suitable for specific problems/issues and should not be used routinely unless absolutely neccessary ... that's my opinion !!!

 

[Cadfael&Coffee]

I've been riding all my life (20+ years- but I'm still young ) and I've yet to put on a pair of spurs. I do carry a whip, but I can't remember the last time I used it!!! It's usually stuck down my boot haha

I see far too many people raking their horses sides with spurs, I intend to learn to use them soon (I'll need them for competition) but only out of neccessity, and they'll be blunt ones when I do )